AhotorSports has learnt that the Black Stars team hotel in Vienna, Austria, was struck by a shocking robbery incident that has thrown the team’s preparations into disarray just hours ahead of their pre-World Cup international friendly match against Austria, scheduled for 5:00 GMT later today.
According to multiple reports, Ghana’s senior national team arrived in Vienna and opened camp on Sunday, with training sessions beginning the following day. The squad had been going through their routines smoothly until trouble erupted after the third training session on Wednesday.
At that point, two players discovered that their valuable Rolex watches had been stolen, with the timepieces alone estimated to be worth around $20,000 in total. The situation worsened the next day when a member of the technical staff reported that $2,250 in cash had also gone missing from his belongings.
Team officials acted swiftly upon learning of the thefts, immediately alerting the Austrian Police and requesting a thorough investigation into the alleged incidents within the Black Stars camp.
However, efforts to probe the matter have reportedly been hampered by the hotel management, who claimed that the majority of their security cameras were not functioning at the time, leaving investigators without crucial CCTV footage that could have helped identify any suspects or shed light on how the thefts occurred.
The Ghana Football Association has since reached out formally to the Austrian authorities to ensure the cases are properly handled, even as the team tries to refocus on the important friendly encounter.
The robbery has understandably caused some distraction and concern among the players and technical team, coming at a sensitive time as Ghana ramps up preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with these European test matches.
As things stand, the Black Stars are still expected to take to the field against Austria this evening, though the incident has added an unwelcome layer of tension to what was meant to be a straightforward build-up in the Austrian capital.
Further updates on the police investigation and any potential recoveries are being keenly awaited by the Ghanaian football community.
